While foreign policy failed to rise to prominence during the election, the United States will not be able to escape the price of foreign policy failure. One crisis that started during President Obama’s first term, which could “explode” during his second, is that of China’s blatant contribution to a North Korean nuclear missile capability.

On Oct. 8, the North Korean Central News Agency for the first time claimed North Korean missiles could “strike” the “U.S. mainland.” That same day in Washington, State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland brushed off the claim, saying, “Rather than bragging about its missile capability [North Korea] ought to be feeding its people.”

Considering the tale that began unfolding last April, it is possible to conclude that North Korea may very well have a missile with sufficient range and payload to carry a small nuclear weapon as far as Anchorage, Alaska (population 296,000). If it has indeed succeeded in developing a new 5,500km range missile, which it would need to reach Anchorage, it is very likely that Pyongyang received significant help from its one and only ally, China.